For the first time ever, researchers have used an unmanned hexacopter to monitor killer whales in the wild. In August 2014, Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard, Vancouver Aquarium Senior Marine Mammal Scientist, collaborated with Dr. John Durban and Dr. Holly Fearnbach from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to use the hexacopter in the field.
Researchers will use the 30,000 photographs taken during 60 flights to assess northern resident killer whale health. From above, the scientists can assess their girth and determine whether the killer whales are sickly or pregnant. These photographs have already revealed several pregnancies, previously undetectable. This information will help guide management of the protected northern resident killer whale population, as well as the endangered southern resident population.

The APH-22 marine hexacopter was built by custom aerial photography company Aerial Imaging Solutions and is owned by NOAA. Its use was authorized by a marine mammal research license issued by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, a special flight certificate from Transport Canada, and animal care permits. The team of scientists also assessed the impact of the hexacopter itself on the animals, and they were able to determine that it went unnoticed by the whales.

Note: The noise in the video may sound loud, but these drones are actually very quiet. You would have to listen hard to hear the drone 10m above your head. The audio is recorded off a camera 30cm from the motors and attached to the frame. In the field the drone was high above the water and researchers noticed no reaction in the whales.

Grindtv.com: “Visitors to marine parks have watched orcas perform all kinds of cute and fun tricks, but these sleek and powerful mammals perform their greatest acrobatics in the wild, without artificial stimulus. Capt. Garry Henkel of Aboriginal Journeys proved this emphatically with a spectacular set images captured last week off Campbell River, British Columbia. But even Henkel said he had never enjoyed a show quite like this one. “I’ve been on the water 40 years as a commercial fisherman, and the past 15 as a tour guide,” he said. “And this was by far the best show I’ve ever seen.” Henkel was leading a tour with eight passengers aboard a 28-foot boat, Laker II, on the back side of Quadra Island, when they encountered two family groups of orcas—about 12 total.